MOst dear and well-beloved Friends and Brethren, who have received Grace, Mercy, and Peace from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in this the glorious Day of his blessed Appearance, with the day-spring from on High, unto the turning of your Captivity, and freely ransoming your Souls out of the horrible Pit and Gulf of darkness and misery, which is the dwelling (you know) of all the Children of disobe­dience.

O ye dear Children of the Light, and true born Sons of the Morning; you above all the Families on the Earth are known unto the Lord, through your Faith and Obedience unto Christ, the true Light and Power of God, who is indeed become the Captain of our Salvation; and you whose Souls are made subject to the Light and Power of his eternal Spirit, and become Followers of the Son of God, the Lord from Heaven, who is a quickening Spirit; here his precious Life is felt, known, and enjoyed by all his faithful Followers; and bles­sed are you, ye dear and well-beloved of the Father, who are be­come willing and obedient Followers of the Lamb in Righteous­ness, in this the day of his mighty Power and blessed Appearance unto you all, who were once (as well as others) scattered upon the barren Mountains, and knew not the voice of the Shepherd of Israel, and then, Oh then, what were your Travels, your Sorrows, and Weepings, and Mourning, because of the want of your Beloved! This was once my state with you, O ye that were oppressed, and af­flicted in spirit, and travelled in pain, until the dawning of the Light and Day of the Lord, that we came to see Him whom our [Page 4] Souls loved, and to follow him faithfully in Righteousness, who is now become our Leader and Commander, and the Captain of our Sal­vation: Oh! what might we now say of the wonderful Works of the Lord our God, which he hath wrought for us, and in us, since the day of his blessed Appearance, that our Souls became subject unto his Power, and Followers of Him in Spirit and in Truth? Oh! how did he utter his Voice against the man of Sin, insomuch that the Earth did fear and tremble at his Appearance? And how caused he the Rocks and the Mountains to melt as wax before Him? for his Appearance was to Ransom his own Seed that was then in great Captivity and Bondage, and to chain the Devil and Satan, that crooked Serpent, never more to Deceive. Oh, this is He whom we have seen and known, leading Captivity captive; and He it was that wounded and healed, that killed and made alive, that the living might praise and magnifie his Name, that now lives and reigns for ever, and for evermore.

O ye Children of the Light, and Sons of Sion's King, there's none knows the Womb of your Conception, but the Children of her own Bowels, who is the Mother of us All; nor none of the Sons of Bondage knows the Royalty of your Birth and Generation, but those of the same Off-spring and Linage, of the everlasting Seed of blessing, unto which all the Promises of God are Yea, and Amen for evermore.

And, O thou Daughter of Sion, there's no Stranger that ever knew the Travel and Sorrow of thy day before Conception, and now indeed there's none of the uncircumcised Children of Bon­dage t [...]at can inter-meddle with thy Joy, and the Lot of thine In­he itance.

O thou that wast once as a silly Dove in the Wilderness, and as an Owle in the Desart, and even as a Pelican in the most deso­late places, and then didst thou travel on, as in a vast howling Wilderness, beset with sorrow and travels on every hand; and then, Oh, how did all the Egyptians and the Ʋncircumcised rejoyce at thy sorrow, and sported themselves with the brokenness of thine Heart, and the travel of thy Soul, not considering that all this came upon thee, as the disposings and orderings of thy Maker, thy Husband, the Lord of Hosts is his Name, so as to humble, and sanctifie thy soul, and to cleanse thee from all For­nication, [Page 5] that thou mightest be his own Beloved, and his peculiar Treasure, and the choicest of ten thousands.

O ye dearly beloved of my Soul, surely that eye which hath seen the great and wonderful Works of the Lord our God, wrought in us and for us, cannot but admire his infinite glorious Acts, even with great Admiration. And certainly that Heart that understands these things cannot but fear, and dread, and reverence his holy Name and Power, even from henceforth and for evermore.

Now at his first Appearance (dearly Beloved) you know, it was he that made us to differ from the world of Ungodly, he made us sensible of his eternal Light and Truth shining in our hearts, and thereby he gave us an understanding to eschew the evil, and cleave unto that which was good, and thus he chan­ged our minds, and converted our hearts, from the darkness unto the Light, and from Satan's power unto the power of the Lord our God. And in this eternal Power and Spirit, in the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have waited upon him, and he hath been with us, and answered us, and now dwells in us and amongst us, according to his Promise, and he is become our Teacher and Leader, and the Captain of our Salvation.

And thus he becomes Wisdom, Sanctification, and Redem­ption, unto all his faithful Followers, whom he hath led, and is leading, (as his ransomed Ones) out of the great Captivity, and Bondage, and Servitude of the Devil, the power of Dark­ness, who hath ruled in times past, as Lord and King over them, and hath led them (also) captive at his will, into the disobedi­ence against God. And now blessed are all ye that are come to know him whom the Father hath ordained to be the Messenger of his everla [...]iing Covenant, and that is leading on unto Sal­vation.

And blessed are you that follow him in faithfulness whither soever he goeth; for now he is not only leading of you out of the sin and Pollution that once lodged in your own hearts, but he is also leading of you, by his eternal Spirit and Power, out of Antichrist's Kingdom, out of Babylon and Egypt's Darkness, that ye may be a peculiar People, a Royal Nation, and a chosen Generation, faithfully holding fast the Testimony of the Lord, [Page 6] your God in Righteousness, against all the Impositions and car­nal Commandments of Babylons Merchants. Oh, this is your du­ty, ye called and chosen of God, and that which is your ac­ceptable obedience with him for evermore, That you Fear, and Reverence, and Worship him, who is the Lord God ever­lasting, and him only to serve, not to bow down to Antichrist, nor any of his carved Images upon any pain or penalties what­soever; for if you should, the Lord would not hold you guilt­less, but he would enter into Judgement with you. Now then follow your Leader, Christ, the Captain of your Salvation, and mind the leadings of his Light, Power and Spirit in your own hearts, and your feet shall not erre from the way of peace, but he shall be your safe Conducte [...], and a sure defence round about you; so that when Storms and Tempests, Temptations and Tribulations do beset you on every hand, yet fear you not, but turn in quietly unto him that is your strength, and fear his name, and grieve not his Spirit by murmuring, but repose your whole Faith and Confidence in him for ever­more, and so he will never leave you nor forsake you, but will go before you, leading on, conquering and to conquer, and he will fight your Battels, and work all your works in you and for you.

And thus dearly Beloved, we are Witnesses of that great In­gagement of the Lamb and his Followers against Antichrist that man of Sin, and his whole Train of Idolaters; and behold, the Word is gone out from him that is higher then the highest, The Lamb and the Saints shall get the Ʋictory. And now my dear Brethren and Companions in the Lamb's warfare, think it not strange if the man of Sin muster up all his Forces against you, for to cause you (if it were possible) to bow down unto his Image; and for to cause you to bow under his Rule and Government, he shall use great violence, instruments of War, and carnal Weapons shall be formed against you, but be­hold those are not the Weapons of your Warfare, but you are to make desence in the Name, and Power, and Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose Weapons are not carnal, but Spiritual and Mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strong holds, &c. And behold, here is the Faith and Patience of the Saints.

[Page 7] And in this Faith and Patience, Good men, Holy men and Prophets of God, in former times finished their course, and kept the Faith, and thereby obtained a good Report amongst the Generations of the Just, and are set down in the Kingdom of their Father, having overcome, through Faith and Pati­ence in the Spirit and Life, which is the blood of the Lamb. And now though Antichrist may have so much power as to cast some of you into Prison, and exercise great wrath and cruelty towards you; yea, though it might extend so far as to take the lives of some from the earth; yet you are not thereby over­come, but therein you are made Conquerors, even through death to Reign in the Kingdom of the Father for evermore.

And now my dear Brethren and Companions, in the Faith and Patience, in the midst of Tribulations, put on Boldness and Confidence in the Name of the Lord, and in the Godly Re­solution of your upright Hearts, follow the Lamb through the loss of all, rather than to be insnared to fall and be taken, for that will bring sorrow and misery into your Dwellings. O ye Dear, and Called, and Chosen of God, he hath long been pre­paring you, for the mighty day of his Conquest of Antichrist that Man of Sin. Oh how powerfully hath he Appeared, even the Lord our Righteousness, to draw and to lead away your hearts from the Pleasure, Riches and Vanities of this World, that those things might not be as Temptations unto you, so as to look back, be insnared, and taken; yea he hath already proved and tryed you, and your faithfulness is known unto the Lord, and altogether acceptable with our God, and he will seal you up for his own, and will crown you with the Beauty of his own Image, and with Glory, Honour and Praise, and that in the sight of his Enemies: Wherefore blessed are you all, that continue Patient in well-doing, and saithful Followers of the Lamb unto the end; ye shall receive a Crown of immortal Life, and Heavenly Blessings in this Life, and in that which is to come.

And so dear Friends and Brethren every where, herein the Lord hath Honoured you, and Blessed you, that have waited up­on him in the Light, his blessed Presence, Power and Life, is with us, and dwells in us, and amongst us, who is our Strength [Page] and Rock, and heavenly Bl [...]sedness, both in this World, and that, which is to come. And now unto him that is come unto us, and hath pitched his Tent in us, and that is able to keep unto the utmost, is my Soul and Body also, with yours freely offered up, unto his Heauenly Protection, who is worthy to be Feared, Reverenced and Obeyed, and his pure Holy Name to be Blessed, Praised and Magnified over all, even from henceforth and for evermore,

Amen.